Japan vs South Korea: Human Development Index
Japan
0.925
in 2023
South Korea
0.937
in 2023
Japan rank
23rd
South Korea rank
20th
Human Development Index over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 0.937 against 0.925 in Japan, a difference of 0.012.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 23rd and South Korea ranks 20th of 192 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.8712 | 0.7827 | 0.0885 | Japan |
| 2000s | 0.8988 | 0.8597 | 0.0391 | Japan |
| 2010s | 0.9146 | 0.9114 | 0.0032 | Japan |
| 2020s | 0.9225 | 0.9315 | 0.009 | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher human development index, Japan or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 0.937 against 0.925 in Japan as of 2023.
- What is the difference in human development index between Japan and South Korea?
- 0.012, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for human development index?
- Japan ranks 23rd and South Korea ranks 20th of 192 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Human Development Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living. Higher values indicate higher human development.